In honor of Kobe Bryant's 40th birthday on Thursday, we're rolling out Kobe Week! Each day we'll be celebrating his finest moments, pondering the unanswerable questions and diving into a legacy that's among the most storied in all of sports.

12

How many players were selected ahead of Kobe in the 1996 NBA Draft. Yes, it was a loaded draft. But the five players picked directly ahead of him: Kerry Kittles, Samaki Walker, Erick Dampier, Todd Fuller and Vitaly Potapenko.

18 years, 72 days

Kobe's age when he played his first NBA game. Only Andrew Bynum and Jermaine O'Neal were younger when they made their debuts.

18 years, 169 days

Kobe's age when he won the dunk contest, making him the youngest player ever to win the award.

81

The most points Kobe scored in a single game of his career. The only player to score more is Wilt Chamberlain (100).

55

How many points Kobe scored in the second half of his 81 point game. You can probably guess who the only player to have scored more points in one half is.

37 years, 234 days

Kobe's age on his final game. He's over five years older than any other player to score 60. Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player to score 60 after turning 32.

60

How many points Kobe scored in his final game. It's the most in NBA history by a player in his final regular season game.

50

The most field goals Kobe attempted in a single game. It came in that final game against the Utah Jazz. The rest of his teammates combined to take 35 shots.

4

Kobe is one of four players to take 50 shots in a game, alongside Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Rick Barry.

12

The most 3-pointers Kobe made in a single game. It was an NBA record before Stephen Curry broke it 13 years later.

35.4

The most points Kobe averaged per game in a single season. It's the eighth-highest mark in NBA history.

38.7

Kobe's usage rate in the 2005-06 season, when he led the league in scoring for the first time in his career. Only Russell Westbrook has posted a high usage rate in a single season.

6

How many 60-point game Kobe had in his career. It's the second-most in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain, who had a whopping 32 of them.

135

How many 40-point games Kobe had in his NBA career. Only Wilt Chamberlain (284) and Michael Jordan (211) have more.

29

How many teams Kobe scored 40-plus points against in a single game in his career. The only team Kobe didn't drop 40 points on is the only team he ever played for.

4

How many consecutive 50-point games Kobe had in the 2006-07 season. Only - you guessed it - Wilt Chamberlain has gone on a longer streak.

9

How many consecutive 40-point games Kobe had in the 2002-03 season. It's tied with Michael Jordan for the second-longest 40-point streak of all-time.

11

How many career fourth quarters Kobe scored at least 20 points. It's more than twice as many as any other player during his 20 years in the NBA.

62

How many career go-ahead makes Kobe had in the final minute of the fourth quarter and overtime. It's easily the most by any player during his tenure. The next most spanning 1996-2016? Vince Carter, with 46.

17

The most assists Kobe dished out in a single game. Kobe's scoring ability got most of the attention throughout his career, but The Black Mamba could pass.

5

How many NBA titles Kobe won. His Los Angeles Lakers became only the fifth team in NBA history to three-peat (2000-02), and he won back-to-back titles with the franchise in 2009 and 2010.

2

How many Finals MVPs Kobe won. Kobe averaged 32.4 points per game against the Orlando Magic in 2009 and 28.6 points per game against the Boston Celtics in 2010.

33,643

How many total points Kobe scored in the regular season in his career. The only players ahead of him are Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387).

24.99

How many points Kobe averaged per game in his career. Incredibly, Bryant finished just seven points shy of the 67 needed in his final game to officially raise his career scoring average to 25 points per game.

8,378

How many free throws Kobe made in his career. It's the third-highest mark all-time, trailing only Moses Malone and Karl Malone.

23

The most free throws Kobe made in a single game. He did it twice in his career, the last one coming against the New York Knicks on Jan. 31, 2006.

5,640

How many total points Kobe scored in the playoffs in his NBA career. The only players ahead of him are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (5,762), Michael Jordan (5,987) and LeBron James (6,911).

48,637

How many minutes Kobe logged in his NBA career. It's the seventh-most all time, behind only Elvin Hayes, Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.